Posted by
RiceT
18 yrs ago
We're looking at a possible relocation to London and would like some input from those who are from / have lived there. Specifically...
1. What is a good neighborhood/section to live in that's good for kids and also a decent commute to work (Canary Wharf area)?
2. How much rent can we expect to pay for a 3-bedroom place?
3. Any other thoughts on life in London?
Thanks in advance!
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RiceT
18 yrs ago
Thanks for the info.
Briandwest - The jobs are in finance. Since we are in preliminary talks, we are not yet sure how much of a budget we will have --- actually would like to know more about housing costs in order to make sure we can cover that in our discussions.
You say we'd find London dirty, polluted, and inefficient compared to HK. One thing deterring a stay in HK is the pollution. Are there neighborhoods outside within commutable distances that we would find cleaner than HK??
We live in Clearwater Bay having moved here from Central area.
We were in NYC for many years before HK.
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Taps
18 yrs ago
Relocating from HK to London- Do it!
But not to Canary Wharf.
If money is no object get a detached, or what about the one advertised above, looks nice to me.
We found many areas in London not everwhere though... clean, friendly and safe. Any big city is the same.
Some of the best cooking.. French , Italian, Thai, Chinese, Turkish , we found in London and elesewhere in the U.K.
Hubby commuted when we move house to Weybridge, Surrey.
Very nice area indeed.
Good schools in Kingston and nearby areas around Surrey if you are willing to live outside London.
Wimbledon area is also alright.
How much is your budget and start your homework from there.
We moved back to Japan which we still regret after all these years.
But we retained our permanent residency so we can go back anytime.
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RiceT
18 yrs ago
: ) Funny Taps, and encouraging.
We love Japan. Are you Japanese?
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foxy
18 yrs ago
i know a number of people who work in canary wharf and they commute from essex. the only problem with commuting from outside of london is that it will take up a lot of your time. depending how far you live from the train station, and if you have to change train to tube in london somewhere, door to door can easily take 1 to 1 1/2 hours. you have to ask yourself, do you really want to spend 2 to 3 hours every day on trains/tubes/buses?
the area around tower bridge is actually quite nice. also, there are really cool residential properties in the docklands area, which is an area that has developed quite a lot over the last few years. it's no longer what it used to be 15/20 years ago. in fact, it is becoming fashionable to live there now.
if you need an idea on rental etc. take a look at www.rightmove.co.uk. choose as area E3 or E14 which will be right where you work (or not far from it).
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RiceT
18 yrs ago
Thanks, Karen, for the input.
As for the beaches, we haven't been to the beach in HK at all as we don't trust that the water is clean; plus sometimes it's just too hot and humid to even be outside here. ;)
We will likely leave HK either way; it's really about narrowing down which place we will move to. I just want to make sure it's a good move both financially and quality of life-wise... These links to rental/housing info help a lot.
Thanks again.
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RiceT
18 yrs ago
Hi Saraheb - Thanks for the tips. Island hopping is great and one of the perks of being here in SK/CWB, but the whole swimming thing, I still don't know! : ) We read the signs at Silverstrand Beach saying that even at a 'good' (one of the ratings) rating, there's still E. Coli or the like etc. So we're not into it; I know people who have swam there and are perfectly fine, etc., but I'm not into it. Sorry to say!
Clearwater Beach #2, is that the one just before Clearwater Bay Country Club?
What does RHKYC stand for? Maybe we'll try Trio Beach.
But as for walks and the other activities, yes, very cool and with the weather as nice as it is now, we'll partake more. But not to worry, we've been in HK for a while and have enjoyed many different sites and experiences; we get around a lot and make it a point to explore new places...even those not listed on the tourist lists.
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RiceT
18 yrs ago
Picnic it is. And hubby will be happy for the 40 minute walk to Trio. Thanks for all the tips. :)
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Here are some useful websites
1) Property
www.findaproperty.com
www.primelocation.com
2) Info on areas to live/schools etc
www.upmystreet.co.uk
This is an incredibly useful website - has tonnes of information about all areas in the UK. You can search by area name or postcode.
London is an extremely fun place to be - especially if you can negotiate a good expat package. Another area no-one has mentioned so far is Dulwich which would give an easy commute to Canary Wharf. Living out west would mean a longer commute with changes of train necessary.
I have loved living in Hong Kong but the pollution is also starting to bother us. Whilst there are many things I will miss about here I would move home in a heartbeat.
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We are living outside London at the moment and my husband works in Canary warf. We are in the process of organising a move to Hk so have been looking at rental prices ect.
We live in a rural part of Essex and my husband has a 55mins each way commute each day. He takes a mainline train to Stratford and then either underground or DLR from there to Canary warf.
We have a 4 bedroom house with garden and rental prices range from between £800 - £1200 per month on similar size accomodation in our are.
Having spent 6months in HK previously I would say that if you go as far out as Greater London and beyond you will find places much cleaner and less poluted.
I have lived in Kingston, Richmond and Wimbledon in the past and would highly recommend those places as far as facilities atc. esp. Schools.
I see that someone has already recommended you look at www.rightmove.co.uk. I have used that site many times for renting and searching for properties to buy.
Good Luck.
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Taps
18 yrs ago
RiceT, have you lived in Japan in the past. I would trade it for UK anytime, best times of
our lives.
Moving back is not possible now, but in the near future.
No, I am not but hubby is, lucky to be educated in both countries.
USA is also good, in my experience, most of my family live in California.
I noticed that everytime I visit CA all my stress is gone!
Australia is also fun where a brother live.
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